Life Lessons
by GiggaLoop
Summary: In which Cheryl Parks is assigned a World History tutor in the form of a tall blonde named Jasper Hale.
1. a lesson in the backseat

**Life Lessons **

_**Summary**_: In which Cheryl Parks is assigned a World History tutor in the form of Jasper Hale. Humiliation never looked so pathetic.

**A/N:** _Don't expect to find out why Jasper agrees to be her tutor __**in the first chapter**__. It comes out later, but trust me, __**there is a reason**__. You'll get it in due time. By the way, Cheryl isn't some new chick everyone will ogle. She's been in the school as long as the Cullens…and has avoided them like the rest of the teenaged Forkian population. Seeing as Bella comes in at March, the beginning will be pre-Bella because the __**story starts around the end of September, early October. **_

_**P.S. **__the title sucks and I will gladly change it later on. Suggestions are much appreciated in the future…though I might have a poll later on. Yes, the title is THAT bad. Anywho, READ ON, bitches, and don't forget to leave a shout out to yours truly._

**A Lesson in the Backseat**

Her attention span, for lack of a better word, sucked. This was not a matter of opinion, but rather a well-stated fact that Cheryl Parks and her teachers had become accustomed too. Maybe it was her past adolescent fascination with the herb, or maybe, just maybe, it was the fact that her class—and the all too familiarly, small town she lived in—was painstakingly boring. But, for whatever reason, she could never get herself to concentrate on one singular activity that involved anything remotely uninteresting.

Advanced World History was no exception to this rule.

How she even managed to get recommended to advanced world history was beyond her. Her grades, she admitted, were somewhat admirable to the average Joe or Jane, but she was hardly anything remarkable. Then again, there weren't many remarkable people in Forks, Washington to begin with. She supposed her guidance counselor was the culprit behind her current predicament, sinking her claws on her course schedule. For some odd reason, Ms. Huntington, the counselor in question, developed a tremendous amount of faith in Cheryl, believing she could break the traditional mold and become an acclaimed writer. After all, the kid had the talent. All she needed were the credits, and apparently, university and colleges approved aspiring English majors who possessed a full history credit. But, why Advanced History, she wondered. If anything, the heightened intensity of the subject seemed to increase the insipid monotony tenfold.

Cheryl craned her neck upwards, propping her head onto her palm. Some girl, Taylor Mills, was doing a presentation on WW2 (how original) and was stuttering over almost every goddamn word: a classic case of plagiarism. She secretly wondered why the teacher wasn't stopping the presentation; this was obviously a waste of time. She couldn't complain though. Taylor was definitely taking up supposedly 'valuable' history time.

The bell signaled lunch, and Cheryl could not have been happier. Thank God. She was starving.

"Ms. Parks, Mr. Hale, I need to talk to you both before lunch," the teacher, Mr. Campaci, informed absentmindedly, staring at a sheet of paper. He exchanged an indistinguishable look with Jasper that did not go unnoticed by Cheryl, increasing whatever suspicions she generally possessed.

She sat at her desk, watching as everyone left the class before her. How depressing. Her fellow prisoner, Jasper Hale, remained seated a good distance away from her, but she assumed it was because he had serious issues being close to someone in a one meter radius. It was almost as if he thought she, and just about every person in Forks High school, possessed some type of contagious disease. For as long as she knew him—not that she was personally linked to him to begin with—Jasper Hale and his siblings never associated with anyone outside of their circle. She had no intention of ever becoming a rare exemption, until the teacher uttered a sentence that completely baffled her to the point of no return. It wasn't so much the sentence as it was one humiliating word that sent her mind into overdrive:

"…_tutor."_

'Oh fuck,' she cursed, knowing the inevitable outcome of today's events.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Hey, where were you?" Cora Marshall asked her friend Cheryl, leaning against her car. She was the epitome of the American girl with her long, blond locks and bright blue eyes. Light freckles dusted her pale, luminescent complexion. Then again, everyone in Forks was condemned to albinism, a result of cloudy, sunless skies.

Jason Wells, a tall brunette, chuckled, "Yeah, you missing lunch? Completely unheard of." He was relatively good-looking, and looked as if he belonged to the stereotypical brain-dead football team. But, his sweet-talking, troublemaking demeanor, and the fact that conversation was hardly stimulating with such a group, set him apart from the pack. His hair was a light shade of brown, his eyes a wicked shade of green that Cora and Cheryl secretly envied.

"Tutor," Cheryl replied simply, her tone informing her friends that she was not in the mood. There were few times Cheryl was ever mad, but a teacher believing she was so undoubtedly idiotic that she needed the aid of another student, who was probably as socially retarded as she was (if not more), made her blood boil for reasons unknown to her. It was only the beginning of the year. So what if she passed the first four tests with straight Cs (and the one D)? Every teacher knew that was how she started. Slow, sluggish, but in the end, she persevered and earned an admirable mark. She was the tortoise among hares. But, the way Mr. Campaci spoke to her…and how Jasper Hale looked at her…she had never felt more stupid than she did at that moment.

Cora literally choked on her own saliva as she entered her car. "You need a tutor?!" she asked in disbelief. "But, Jason's dumber than you and he doesn't even have a tutor!"

"HEY!"

"Trust me: I'm just as surprised as you are. But, it seems Ms. Huntington decided to bitch at Mr. Campaci for my mark… and the only solution was to get a tutor. You should have seen the way they looked at me," Cheryl sighed, finger-combing her hair. "I felt like an idiot… He was speaking in such a slow voice; it was like he thought I was mentally incapacitated."

"Cheer up, kid," Jason replied sympathetically, patting her shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm sure you're just overreacting."

"Or PMSing," Jason offered, earning a smack on the arm. "OW! Okay, c'mon, it can't be that bad!" he massaged his shoulder, offering a chivalrous smile, which came off more as a smirk. "Who's your tutor anyways?"

"Jasper Hale," Cheryl stated, creating a moment of silence…

…that was soon interrupted with a burst of laughter.

"I'm glad you both are enjoying my humiliation," Cheryl sighed, leaning back on the leather seat of the car. "I even have to go to his house on Mondays, Saturdays, and Wednesdays. It's not enough that I don't even know the guy, but now I have to go into un-chartered territory, where he and his cult of adopted siblings can torment and torture my mind into oblivion."

"Well, if that isn't overreacting, than I don't know what is," Cora admonished, rolling her eyes. "Seriously, Parks, you act as if they're reincarnations of Charles Manson-"

"-or the Anti-Christ," Jason piped up, changing the dial on the radio.

"Oh, don't even try to rationalize the situation here," Cheryl retorted, folding her arms. "When I skinned part of my knee playing basketball, the Cullens looked like they wanted to finish the job."

Cora attempted to restrain her laughter, but a succession of chuckles emitted from her mouth, "Seriously, girl, where is this coming from? You're being such a drama queen. I thought that was supposed to be my job."

"Jason, tell her," Cheryl gripped his shoulder from her position in the backseat, gesturing to Cora.

"Tell me what?"

"Jason was in my gym class. He knows what happened!"

"Okay, midget, pipe down! We get the point," Jason exclaimed, ruffling her hair with his freakishly long arm.

"Just spit it out, Jason."

"Well, there is some truth to what she's saying…especially with Jasper. He looked pained-"

"Jasper always looks pained," Cora butted in.

"Yes, but this was different," Jason stressed, slightly annoyed by her interruption. "He looked just… I can't describe it. It was almost like he was fighting with himself. Emmett had to drag his ass out of there to get some fresh air."

"See? CRAZY!" Cheryl fired from her backseat.

"Or, CRAZY thought, he might be squeamish around blood. Not all of us are as tolerant of disgusting bodily fluids as you two are," Cora justified, parking the car on her driveway.

"That's true." Jason seemed to chew on the thought.

"I guess so…" Cheryl calmed down a few notches.

"I'm glad you both are starting to see it my way," Cora smiled, slipping out of the car. "Get to know Jasper first and then you can rant all you want. For now, shut up."

"Yes, ma'am," was the collective response.

**Hoped you enjoyed it. It'll probably be a short story, and it might actually be the first fic I ever finish. FUDGE, I think I just jinxed that shit. Leave some love. **

**CHEERS!  
**

**giggaloop**


	2. a lesson in peaches and coconuts

**A/N:** _MAN, where to begin? Thanks so much for the fantabulous reviews. And drrrrrrrrrrrrum roll please: the special chapter 2 dedication is for……………………_

_**OTHlover04**_

_for being the first reviewer of both the story and chapter. You get an equally uber awesome prize! __**You get to keep Jasper for Chapter 2! **__LUCKY BIRRRCH. Honorable mentions go to Anima Bella, Queen O'Randomness, 95, Bell Agnew, and Foam Weber. Thanks for playing:D and don't be a sour sport, the next prize is ten times better!_

**DISCLAIMER**: _I'm an idiot and forgot to add the tiny excerpt of whose boss. SMEYER owns all…except for a few stoned OCs._

**A Lesson in Peaches and Coconuts**

Cheryl fidgeted in her seat, glaring at the clock. Perhaps if she stared at it hard enough, time would begin to slow down, thus delaying her tutoring session with Jasper Hale. No such luck. What was wrong with the damn clocks at school? They moved entirely too fast for her taste. Even History class seemed to pass by in the blink of an eye, which astonished her to no end. How come class went by so slowly the previous days? Was this some kind of sick joke God liked to play?

Ten minutes.

Maybe if she sprinted out of class to the car, she could pretend like she forgot about the session…but she knew that would have been exceptionally rude, especially when Jasper was generous enough to offer up his time and talents. She was being an idiot, she decided. Things would go smoothly.

"You can keep staring at the clock, but it's not going to change anything," Cora muttered absentmindedly, eyeing her worksheet.

"I'm about to endure two hours of the most boring subject known to man. Sympathy, please."

A snicker was heard from the back of the class. Cora and Cheryl turned around to find Emmett and Jasper laughing about something, but the girls couldn't quite put their finger on what was so damn funny. They ignored them.

"See: he clearly has a sense of humor. You'll live."

"Are you kidding me? The only thing that's going to be funny is that constipated expression he'll be wearing the entire session."

Parks: 1. Hale: 0.

Again, laughter was heard at the back of the class, but only from Emmett's part. Jasper was glaring, though Cheryl and Cora were oblivious to the situation altogether.

Cora attempted to suppress a giggle, but failed mercilessly. "You're so mean."

"I'm not mean. I'm just honest," Cheryl raised her hands up in defense.

"Well, at least his face can distract you from the boring factor. He's gorgeous."

"Yes, but this is history we're talking about here," Cheryl reminded her friend. "He's not that hot."

Parks: 2. Hale: 0.

The bell rang, drowning out Emmett's shrewd laughter. Cora dragged Cheryl out of the classroom as the girls chatted about fashion instead of Cheryl's impending boredom. The conversation was unsuccessful. In a solid three minutes, Cora ditched Cheryl without a second thought. The latter girl was reduced to a lonesome walk as she escaped the fiery clutch of the educational establishment, venturing into the school parking lot.

Cheryl wasn't good with cars, so the only word she could use to describe one of the Cullen cars was 'big'. Maybe even 'daunting'. She prayed to God that the car she spied wasn't Jasper's car, or she was going to have to fight a hyperventilating fit.

She was so distracted by the vehicle that she didn't even notice the tall figure that stood beside her.

"Are you ready?" Jasper inquired with a face of indifference.

"Uh…that's not your car, is it?"

He smirked slightly, walking towards the driver's seat, "Actually, it is…Why? Is that going to be a problem?"

So this was how it was going to end: death by freakishly big automobile. She hoped it would end quickly and painlessly.

"Of course not," she scoffed, heading to the passenger seat. "It's just a car…a big car. How do I even get on it?"

His lips pursed together tightly. Whether it was out of frustration or to suppress a laugh was a mystery to her. "You could start by opening the door."

Hale: 1. Parks: 2.

"And you could start by unlocking it," she replied absentmindedly, still holding onto the car's handle. She was deeply entranced by the size.

Hale: 1. Parks: 3.

That was one thing Jasper Hale would have to get used to: unlocking the doors for this particular car. Emmett usually accompanied him whenever the truck was used, and he was fully capable of entering the vehicle sans silly locks. Still, if Jasper was flustered by her comment, Cheryl noticed he didn't show it. In fact, he didn't seem to showcase a wide variety of emotions other than pain or indifference. At times, he seemed like a calm person…but it was always the unsuspecting ones that turned out to be the most surprising. And she wasn't afraid to make that judgment.

Cheryl opened the door, entering the car. She could feel the piercing gazes of the entire student body as she threw her bag to the backseat. She stared straight ahead of her, so as to not attract more attention to herself than necessary.

In a matter of seconds, Jasper pressed his foot on the gas pedal and they exited school territory. The drive was silent, and Cheryl didn't dare tell Jasper that he was going three times the speed limit. She valued her life.

By the look on Jasper's face, it was almost as if his inner speed demon was the last thing on his mind. If possible, his knuckles whitened two shades lighter as his grip on the steering wheel deepened. She wasn't frightened. No, she was disturbed. If Jasper had mental issues, she would most certainly not play horrified witness, nor would she play idiotic therapist. She averted her gaze towards the window, attempting to hold down her laughter at the image of Jasper Hale sitting on a sofa, ranting about his weight to some skinny therapist with severe eyebrows. However small her mirth may have been, it relaxed Jasper more than she would ever know.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say you don't live in town."

"Just on the outskirts. We're almost there."

She didn't doubt that, especially when she glanced at the dial on the speedometer. 'I wonder what's worse: death by car crash or suicide from overbearing history lesson…Jasper's making this very hard,' she thought to herself sardonically.

Five minutes later, they reached Jasper's house. Her mouth would have opened wide in astonishment had she not known the Cullens were rich. She wasn't blind. Rosalie and Alice boasted the kind of designer labels you couldn't find in Port Angeles, much less Forks.

"So, you must be loaded." It wasn't so much an opinion as it was a factual observation. Cheryl wasn't foreign to wealth. Her parents were employees of some corporate conglomerate in Manhattan after all…which meant her summers were dedicated to visiting botox-infused Upper East Side housewives and their coked out daughters and sons. The fathers, of course, were off screwing the maid or secretary.

Jasper chuckled, "Carlisle's job has some benefits."

"That's putting it mildly," she muttered, exiting the car. She noticed the other Cullens arrived in perfect timing…and that they were not only watching her, but Jasper as well. It was almost as if they wanted to see how she reacted to him, or perhaps it was the other way around.

Cheryl played the perfect student and followed her 'teacher' and his siblings to the porch.

"Hi Cheryl," Alice offered perky smile.

Cheryl beamed as well, feeling somewhat relieved. "Hi Alice."

Jasper opened the door instantly and she entered, taking off her shoes by the front door. Immediately, she noticed the Cullen's mother, Esme, gracefully enter the room.

"Hello, you must be Cheryl," Esme smiled charmingly and held out her hand. "I'm Jasper's mother, Esme."

"Hi," Cheryl greeted the young woman, feeling a bit more at ease. "You have a beautiful home, Mrs. Cullen."

"Please, just call me Esme," she insisted, and then her eyes lit up as if remembering something. "Carlisle tried to get in contact with your mother about her medical files."

"Oh, she and my dad moved back to New York just before the school year," Cheryl informed her. "I can get her to call him, if you'd like." (**NOTE**: NO, SHE DOES NOT LIVE ALONE! _Continue…_)

"Yes, please. He'd really appreciate that," Esme thanked her. "Will you be staying for dinner?"

For some reason unknown to Cheryl, Emmett and a few others laughed as if it was some private joke.

"Uh, I don't think I can. I have a night shift at the local pharmacy."

"Night shift? On a school day?" Esme seemed surprised.

"It's not so bad…especially since I have study hall first period at school," Cheryl shrugged, shoving her hands into her pockets. She would never admit it, but she secretly loathed working at the pharmacy with her cranky, old, menopausal boss. Unfortunately, she had no choice in the matter. Because she decided to stay in Forks rather than accompany her parents back to New York, her allowance was extremely limited. Greedy bastards. Not that she could blame the Mr. and Mrs. They played a good fight; she'd give them that. They were the parents after all. "Maybe on Saturday."

"Saturday it is then. Well, I won't keep you two. I'll be in the kitchen if you need me." With a final smile, Esme was gone, and everyone began to march up the stairs.

"Your mom's a doll, Jasper," Cheryl complimented, just as her cell phone rang. "Hello?"

"_Are you dead yet?"_

"Bye Jason," she rolled her eyes, sliding the phone to end the conversation. She failed to notice the smiles that appeared on everyone's faces.

"That was a short conversation," Jasper noted.

"As are all conversations with idiotic individuals," Cheryl acknowledged, coaxing a light chuckle out of him. Wow, so Cora was right. He was capable of an emotion other than pain. "Where to, Jasper?"

The taller boy—er, man—led her towards his room, and she wasn't blind to his apparent apprehension. It was literally radiating off of him. Why he felt so anxious—almost pressured—was a mystery to her. She was hardly intimidating, barely reaching five feet. And she wasn't nearly as much of a bitch as Cora was either. He left the door open, and by the way he hesitated, she was able to derive that the action held obvious significance.

"Are you alright?" she inquired shyly as she made herself comfortable on the large loveseat. She was slightly irked by the fact that there was no bed in his room…though the loveseat was indeed large and comfy. Perhaps he thought beds were overrated. "You seem tense."

Jasper glanced up at her with a regretful smile. "I'm fine. Just a little tired."

He was lying, of course. She wasn't that stupid. He looked almost like he was holding his breath in, and that's when she got an idea. A stupid idea.

'Oh my god, do I smell?!' she exclaimed to herself. There was a succession of laughter heard down the hall: first Edward, then Alice, and then Emmett. But, despite Emmett's monstrous roar, Cheryl was deaf to any sound from the outside world. She was entirely focused on her thoughts…her embarrassing thoughts.

"Maybe I should be asking you the same question," he chuckled, noting her stoned expression.

"Do I smell?"

Again, boisterous laughter was heard…much louder than the previous time. No one, not even Cheryl herself, expected the young girl to vocalize her thoughts in such a direct manner.

"What?"

"It's just—oh, god, I don't even know why I just asked that. Um," she stuttered, pausing in her movements, "I just thought..."

"Yes…" he urged her to continue.

"Okay, I'm just going to say it. You left the door open. You're holding your breath in. You turn away from me constantly. We drove in a roofless car. If I smell bad, I can just take a shower and come by later, if you want," she rambled. She desperately wanted to shut her mouth, but it was like word vomit. Once she opened her mouth, she couldn't stop talking; she had to say everything that was on her mind.

For once in long time, a human directly made Jasper Hale laugh. How completely ironic that the reason for his reaction was the complete opposite of what she had just said.

"Oh god," she leaned back, covering her flustered face with her hands. "This is so embarrassing!"

It took extreme self-restraint, but Jasper walked closer to her and peeled one hand away from her face, though he smoothly adjusted his arm back to his side a moment later. "You don't smell bad, Cheryl. Quite the opposite actually."

"You're lying," she moaned tragically, cutting him off.

Jasper stifled a laugh at her dramatic reaction. She was so childlike…so innocent. It made things so much easier; it gave him just a bit of hope. Hope for what? Well…that was something he would keep to himself. "I'm not lying. You smell lovely; like coconut and peaches."

Cheryl eyed him suspiciously, gently grabbing a piece of hair to capture the scent. She felt entirely foolish and—screw Cora for calling her dramatic—she just wanted someone to kill her. This was the most awkward situation she ever had to endure with someone she had just formally met…and she participated in her fair share of outrageously idiotic moments with her parent's friends. She inhaled the scent, slightly perturbed by the fact that he was, indeed, right. 'Either he has an insanely good nose, or I better lay off the scented shampoo,' she thought to herself incredulously.

He gauged her reaction, smiling when a look of realization dawned on her. "Now, do you believe me?"

"I guess I have to," she breathed out a sigh of relief. She couldn't complain. At least she didn't smell like manure. "But, if you're lying, it's too late now. I'm staying here whether your nose likes it or not."

"It'll survive," he notified her with a slight grin as he walked over to his desk.

She laughed, feeling the heat just beginning to melt off her face. "Well, now that that's settled…."awkward pause "History?"

"History," he agreed, gesturing to the desk in the room.

She ventured over to the table, ready to embark on one of the dullest quests she had ever been sent on: enduring an extra, longer History lesson. She had a feeling that if embarrassment wasn't going to kill her, the boredom probably would.

Of course, her assumptions were…almost…correct.

She didn't die, but she was close to it. She had to force herself to give Jasper her undivided attention, and fortunately, she was able to retain most of what he had taught her. However, whenever there was a moment of silence as she took down notes, her mind would travel back to her earlier spazztastic moment. Strangely enough, her anxiety and mortification never lasted too long. As if by magic, she was always able to rationalize everything, including her actions…and for reasons unknown to her, her intuition always credited Jasper for that. Whenever he stared at her pathetic, little face, she always felt as if he knew what she was feeling…or worse, he could see right through her. It was unsettling to say the least. With him, she felt as if she was on a turbulent ride of emotions: boredom…anxiety…embarrassment…calmness…and the same vicious cycle would repeat.

Two hours passed before she packed up her belongings, having already called Cora to pick her up. And then the awkwardness kicked in once again, but this time there was no emotional saving grace to kick her out of her funk. Everything about the day was intensely disturbing and virginal…for Cheryl, at least. It was only fit that a completely random apology was thrust somewhere in there. "So, I didn't get a chance to say sorry about what happened… I guess my imagination got the better of me."

He shook his head. "It's me who should be apologizing for ever making you think…about that." He paused. "I know I asked this already, but are you okay?"

"Jasper, I think this is the most homework I've done since school started. Does that answer your question?" she joked.

He chuckled, allowing her right of passage through the threshold in his gentlemanlike manner. "I'm sorry. Was I going too fast?"

"Well, you sure as hell weren't going slow. Let's leave it at that, shall we?" she teased, walking out the door. "Don't worry about it though. I think you just awakened brain cells I didn't even know I had."

"Glad to be of assistance," he smiled chivalrously, but it was forced. He seemed as if he couldn't wait till she left, and that was putting it lightly. Blatant irritation and unease were spread across his face. He was in pain. "What time on Saturday would you like to continue?"

"Um, definitely not in the morning…for your sake. I don't think you'd want to deal with a bitchy, brain-dead student. Maybe two in the afternoon? If that's alright with you, of course," she feigned smoothness. She wasn't uncomfortable; she was disappointed. For a moment, she thought they had gotten past the glaring and irrational behavior. She had just experienced an overload of intense emotions during their session and she didn't want to add disappointment to the list.

"Sounds fine to me."

But, he was still rigid, and Cheryl had a feeling that this wasn't just a phase.

**A/N: Leave a quick shout out and you might just win the next prize. I'll give you a hint—whipped cream is involved. **

**CHEERS!**

**giggaloop**


	3. a lesson in the cafeteria

_**A/N: And the chapter 3 dedication goes to: FOAM WEBER**__! Read your review and you're right: pain isn't an emotion. Very good eye you have. I didn't even notice it. I put a star beside it, so I can edit it when I put up the revised edition. THANKS! _

_AND, of course, I didn't forget the most important part: __**your prize**__. HEHE, for all intensive/corruptive purposes, perhaps I shouldn't tell you what the real prize is for fear of tainting your innocence. LMAO. So, yes, I'm going to give you the clean version: your prize is a sundae (with extra, extra whipped cream plus the peaches and coconuts), but I just won't tell you where you'll be eating the sundae out of. The sundae is not in a bowl, that's for sure :D Just be satisfied in knowing you claim him for chapter three inside the cafeteria…but if you look at mad-dog-13's review, you might get the gist of it…though I'm a little more dirty minded. _

**_Special thanks to: Anima Bella, rhea321, 95, Lady Nyght, IsabellaC1726 and mad-dog-13__. _**

**A Lesson in the Cafeteria**

People didn't confront Cheryl that week or the week after, but she supposed it was because she spent every moment she could with Cora…and nobody ever messed with Cora Marshall. It was known throughout Forks High School that if you crossed her, you could expect emotional damage beyond repair. Laura Rosewater, current junior, learned that the hard way.

"You know, as much as I enjoy your fabulous company, you can't keep leeching onto me forever. You're going to have to address the masses sooner or later," Cora informed Cheryl as they entered the caf, after having bought a few sandwiches from the local diner. "I wonder how you even manage during classes when I'm not there. Don't people interrogate you then?"

"Nope. They're afraid you might sabotage them…or so I've heard."

"Yep, that sounds about right," Jason agreed. "You hold everyone's balls in this school, Marshall...figuratively speaking, of course."

"Then what does that make you two?"

"Oh, us?" Jason gestured to both himself and Cheryl. "We're just here for the ride."

"I'm so glad to entertain you both," she replied sarcastically, sitting down at a spare table. "So, how's tutoring been?"

"As good as can be expected…. Well, it's history. What do you want me to say?"

"When she asks 'how's tutoring been', you can only assume she means 'has Jasper stopped glaring at you yet'."

The comment elicited a smack from the tall blonde of the group.

"Oh, that," Cheryl chewed over the comment, completely unfazed by his wording of choice. In all honesty, it was true. Jasper still glared at her, and she learned it was best not to say anything for now. Her courage wasn't at top notch for the moment. "He's alright. He's …well…nice sometimes…and it's…"

They stared at her quizzically, knowing she was blatantly lying through her teeth.

"Okay, yeah, it's painfully awkward and morbidly depressing. I sometimes wonder when he's going to finally snap and stop keeping everything in. I feel like he's so close to breaking that—Gah, I don't even know what I'm talking about. I just get that feeling, ya know?"

"Well…that was unexpected..."

"What are you talking about?" Jason inquired incredulously, staring at Cora. "Don't worry, Cheryl, I know exactly what you mean. The kid looks like he's going to pull a Columbine every time he comes to this school."

Again, Jason was met with dual smacks across the head from both girls.

"Ugh, not that…" she shook her head. "I guess I'm just looking into things too much again… which wouldn't be the first time."

"Or, you could just be stressed out. You've had a lot of pressure since this thing started…" Cora reasoned, taking a sandwich out of her paper bag.

"It's not that…I just— never mind," Cheryl shook her head, dropping the subject. "How was your day?"

"Okay, no. Doesn't work that way, sweetie. You rant, we listen. It's in the best friend manual. Look it up."

Cheryl winced, not particularly in the mood to have a Dr. Phil session with her friends. "Fine, but this doesn't leave the table."

"Oh yes, because we're just dying to tell all these miserable shits about-" Not many things could shut Jason up, but the death glares Cheryl and Cora were giving him automatically told him that now was not the time to voice his opinion.

"'Kay, spill, kid."

Cheryl paused, staring at the Cullen table before looking at her friends with an anxious expression. "Alright…I don't know if you guys have noticed, but I've been getting really jumpy lately-"

"We've noticed," was their collective reply. Cheryl jumped slightly upon their reaction, further proving her diagnosis.

"And I have a feeling it has to do with Jasper. I get extremely edgy around him. He may seem distant, but he's completely aware of everything that's going on. God, you're going to think I'm insane, but it's almost like he knows what I'm feeling or thinking; like he's in my head," she tapped her skull, her nerves beginning to get the best of her. "It's so strange… and unnerving because I know nothing about him."

"Well, do you guys talk?" Jason interrupted, slightly uncomfortable with how his friend was acting. If he didn't know any better, he would think she was crazy.

"That's the weird part about it. We don't. Only light conversation," she explained, raking her hair with her fingers. "But, whenever I'm feeling sad or angry…like that time my mom called…he knows. He doesn't have to say anything. And a few minutes later, I feel better."

"Wait, so he makes you feel better?" Cora inquired with a tinge of a smile on her lips.

"Okay, when you say it like that, it sounds queer," Cheryl rolled her eyes. She sighed, adjusting her voice a few decibels lower, "Like I said, he doesn't say anything… When my mom called and verbally obliterated my ass, I was so mad. Next thing I know, after a few minutes sitting with him, everything was just suddenly fine. But, at the same time, I couldn't help but feel like it wasn't real."

She paused, taking in their reactions. They were silent, waiting for her to continue.

"It was like getting high. I forgot about everything in that moment, but I knew I was still screwed in the end; I knew that it was just a temporary feeling prolonging whatever bullshit I would have to deal with later on…and that wasn't the first or last time it happened. I just—I feel like I can't be myself around him and not even by choice. It's like something is forcing me to stop feeling-"

"Okay, wow. You're talking to Jasper and telling him you're not going today. You're so out of it, Cher. Do you realize you just compared Jasper to pot?"

Some of the Cullens were staring curiously at them. Cheryl instantly looked down, feeling ashamed. "God, do you see what I mean? I feel like I can't even talk without him hearing-"

"Cheryl, get a hold of yourself, woman. They're across the room and people are talking louder than you are, for once. Do you realize how crazy you sound?"

"Yeah, I'm not going to lie, midge. You know I usually side with you, but you look—not to mention, sound—terrible right now," Jason concurred, wrapping his arm around Cheryl's chair lazily. "Maybe you're just steamed; you've got work, school, tutoring, and detention…and by the bags under your eyes, I'm going to guess that you haven't been getting much sleep either."

"Thank you for making me feel so much better, dickhead," Cheryl snapped with apparent sarcasm. She stopped herself from causing a scene, banging her head onto the table. She never snapped at anyone, especially her friends. Maybe she really was stressed out. "Oh my god," she moaned miserably, "you're right."

"Glad you're seeing it our way," Jason patted her on the head, before they launched back into discussion…one that did not involve a creepy Jasper Hale.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"You have to stop, Jasper." The words were simple, yet held a meaning grander than anyone could hope to imagine.

Rosalie could hardly care about the person to whom Edward was referring, but even she could see that Jasper wasn't doing the girl any favors. He wasn't protecting her. He was destroying her. "She's an emotional mess."

Alice exchanged a knowing look with Edward before reaching out to Jasper. "I know it's hard, but you have to try. If you manipulate her emotions-"

"-there's no reality," Jasper finished for her, though those weren't the words Alice was going to use. However, they fitted perfectly.

They sat in silence for a moment, hearing bits and pieces of the conversation between Cheryl, Cora, and Jason.

"_I feel like I can't be myself around him and not by choice. It's like something is forcing me to stop feeling-"_

A spasm of guilt coursed through Jasper's veins. Rosalie couldn't have been more right. Cheryl was an emotional mess. The tone of her voice was so desperate, like insanity interlaced with despair. His eyes were trained on Cheryl, and he didn't even blink when their eyes met. She immediately looked away, but not out of embarrassment. It was fear…and not the type of fear Jasper was usually accustomed to. Cheryl wasn't afraid of the monster Jasper was; she was afraid of his empathetic abilities…ones she had no clue about. Abilities that were harmless compared to the real torture he could have submitted onto her.

He flinched when she snapped at Jason; a completely uncharacteristic action on her part. Jasper, in attempt to be human, swallowed down his disgust. He made her this way. He was so busy trying not to physically harm her, while at the same time, attempting to calm her down that he completely disregarded the fact that he was emotionally damaging her. He lost all focus of why his powers were so dangerous. He tried justifying that he was making her feel better…but he was playing a risky game by toying with her emotions.

"No signs of overcast tomorrow. Shall we hunt?" Alice inquired, though everyone was still focused on Jasper's conflict.

A hunt sounded appealing. He needed time to clear his mind…and to prepare himself for a real session without the intervention of his powers.

Edward nodded his head in approval.

**This chapter was inspired by some story I read a long time ago. The act of manipulating someone's emotions, no matter how small it might be, can critically alter or even damage a person's mentality and emotional stability. So, just imagine if Jasper did that in every session with Cheryl. **

**Some of you might ask why Jasper does this, and just incase it wasn't established in the chapter clearly enough (though it will be explained in greater detail later on), I'll give you the lowdown: Coupled with bloodlust, the intensity of her emotions drives him over the edge so he attempts to minimize his thirst by calming her down and removing the tension both of them feel. I think he would do that, just 'coz this is his first personal interaction with a human and he doesn't think himself that capable of dealing with both emotions/bloodlust at the same time. Again, this will be explained later on, of course, but I thought I should tell you now, just so you know.**

**Leave a shout out, and you could win the next prize. HEHE, I can't get enough of this prize stuff. Makes me laugh. OH, and one of the future prizes is pretty damn good! You get to be featured in the chapter…but, sadly, that's not chapter 4's prize:P**

**CHEERS!  
**

**giggaloop **


	4. a lesson in the hallway

_**A/N: Sorry for the wait. Let's just say, school sucks mucho ass. I HATE EXAMS. **_

_**IMPORTANT:**__ SO, the **romance question** was asked, and my answer is still pending. I will tell you this though: due to strong attachment to the fic, I'm officially changing it from short story to a long work in progress, so the fic will take place from around late Sept., early Oct. to the end of the James fiasco. It would be extremely unrealistic if Jasper and Cheryl fell in love and had a happily ever after in that time, seeing as Jasper is in love with Alice. Don't get me wrong, complications will arise in J/A's relationship, but Cheryl will not be the cause. BUT, I am beginning to write a** sequel**, and in there, the romance factor will be breached…at a painfully slow pace. _

_**AND FOR YOUR INFORMATION, THIS IS NOT A JASPERxEDWARD fic. LMAO! If that was the case, this story would be rated M. HAHA. Wow, I never thought I'd get asked that question!**_

_**WINNER**: TwiTard_

_**PRIZE**: Handcuffs. Jasper. Bed. Need I say more? _

_LOVE Y'ALL! Your love keeps me going! _PEACE:D

**A Lesson in the Hallway**

Two weeks had passed since Cheryl's small emotional breakdown that she classified as a minor case of senioritis. Her friends, in all their post-pubescent wisdom and glory, were right. Jasper had nothing to do with her crazy, psychotic mood-swings from heck. It was all in her pretty, little, messed-up head. After taking off two days of tutoring, she felt more relaxed and less edgy.

But, her sessions were still horrible, and that was putting it mildly.

Yes, she no longer felt that manipulative pull on her emotions when she was in the presence of Jasper Hale. However, if possible, the boy's unease seemed to increase tenfold, mimicking his earlier behavior from when they had first met, albeit in a less intensified manner. It was almost as if they were back at square one. Sure, she could tell he was warming up slightly, but only SLIGHTLY, in the very definition of the word. Whenever she lost her seat in class and was forced to sit next to him, he was always stiff as a pole. Whether he meant to or not, he deeply offended her. But, she decided against her better judgment to confront him. After all, things hadn't gone too smoothly the last time she opened her mouth and let the cat out of the bag.

"So?"

"So…what?" Cheryl responded slowly, staring up at Amy Fisher, a decidedly gorgeous girl who usually never gave Cheryl the time of day. She inwardly rolled her eyes. The hormone-driven population of Forks High School finally decided to interfere.

"Well, you're barely passing history, and Jasper Hale, who has the highest mark in that class, happens to drive you home every Wednesday and Monday… He's your tutor, isn't he?" The facts were jumbled, but Cheryl couldn't deny Amy had the gist of it. Well, internally she couldn't deny it, but…

"I don't know whether to be flattered or disturbed that you keep tabs on me," was Cheryl's cryptic reply, smirking as she organized her mess of a binder.

Amy wasn't amused. "That doesn't answer my question, Parks."

"He's not my tutor. He just drives me home because Cora and Jason have work on those days right after school," Cheryl countered, suddenly aware that most of the class's attention was set on her…even Emmett Cullen, who was seated at the back. Her excuse was a half-assed one, but people would believe it. The Marshall's, Cora and Grace, weren't shy people, especially Cora. She was an opinionated girl, who could ruin you if she wanted to. That was highly evident to the Forks teenage population. It was the main reason people backed off their little trio.

"So, they ask the Cullens of all people?" Amy inquired with skepticism, though she wouldn't put it past Cora to do something so bold and outlandish.

"I don't know if you know this yet, but Cora isn't exactly fond of anyone that's associated with you," Cheryl feigned her uneasiness, sarcasm dripping off her voice. "But, excluding that, Cora's mom is good friends with Dr. Cullen and asked if the arrangement was possible. So, did I fill your gossip quota for today?"

"Don't shoot the messenger. I just heard it from Macy," Amy responded defensively, though she was secretly pleased with the news. The Cullens were too beautiful for scum like Cheryl Parks.

"Well, you heard wrong," Cheryl offered a fake grin, standing up to get a few sheets from the back of the classroom. She failed to notice the confused expression of Emmett Cullen.

-.-.-.-.

"I just don't understand why you don't want people to know," Cora stressed, keeping her voice low so as to not attract attention to herself and Cheryl. They had already gotten a warning a few moments earlier.

"Things travel. If my parents knew I was getting a 58 in History, they wouldn't hesitate to pull my ass back to Manhattan," Cheryl sighed, feeling distressed. "I can't go back there… Ugh, I practically had to beg Ms. H not to tell my mom."

"Well, you better explain yourself to Jasper," Cora reminded her friend, her eyes glancing quickly at Amy Fisher and Macy Carter. Thankfully, the two delinquents seemed busy, probably gossiping silently about Brian Dawson's new—not to mention atrocious—haircut. "He must be pissed off, or at the very least confused, that you've been denying any type of relation towards him at school. He might think you hate him."

"He's probably oblivious to it all."

"Um, sweetie, it's all the school's been talking about today: how he drives you home…and how you've been denying that he's your tutor when CLEARLY he is. I don't know, but if I was in his position, I'd think the ungrateful bitch I was tutoring was ashamed of me."

Cheryl laughed at her friend's obnoxiously bitchy tone, forcing a smile out of Cora. "I'm sure he's cool with it, Core…and why should I even have to explain myself when **he** clearly has no intention of explaining his…odd behavior? I mean, it's not like we're friends anyway," Cheryl replied nonchalantly, "right?"

"I don't know. Do you like him?"

Cheryl paused, dropping her pencil to the desk. "Hard to say. He's alright sometimes, but then he just completely changes out of nowhere."

"Um, well, do you trust him?"

"Not particularly, no," Cheryl answered honestly, "and I think it's a two way street."

"Then you have your answer."

-.-.-.-.-

It was extremely childish. Childish? No, that was entirely too modest of a term. She wasn't giving herself enough credit. What she had done was a completely bitchy move, and despite it all, Cheryl had no intention of ever explaining herself to Jasper Hale. If he wouldn't share the reason behind his rude, offensive glares, then she wasn't obligated to explain why she had completely blown him off in the hall. Thankfully, no one had seen it or even noticed. He walked quickly over to her in attempt to clarify something about their tutoring session, but she turned and walked away in the other direction with wide eyes. As expected, he hadn't followed her. Thank the loving God.

Lunch had turned its ugly rear, and she was more than confident she'd be receiving more glares than usual from a certain table in the corner.

"AHA, wow, you completely scammed him," Jason laughed out loud in an obnoxious manner, coaxing glares out of the two girls.

"Ignore him," Cora demanded, and then proceeded to leer at her other best friend. "Now, you HAVE to tell him."

"Okay, no. No, I don't. I feel a little shitty for what I did, but it's not nearly as bad as what he does to me everyday," Cheryl defended herself, somewhat surprising Cora and Jason. Cheryl wasn't usually…the bitchy, defensive one. "Do you see the way he looks at me?"

"Yeah, like you're chicken mcnugget," Jason adlibbed.

Cora seemed to be the only one taking it seriously, as she glanced over at the Cullen table, where its inhabitants had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Jasper was talking with the others, and ever so often their eyes would travel towards her table. It happened so quickly that Cora wasn't even sure it happened to begin with. That is, until the entire table set their eyes on Cora, who was openly staring at them with great intrigue. Never one to allow the other team satisfaction, she smirked, tipped her head, and continued her conversation.

"Well, they're obviously talking about you right now. Probably about how you're a bitch," Cora stated icily, but there was still a tinge of a smile on her lips.

"So this is how it feels to be Cora Marshall," Cheryl pondered, sitting regally on her chair.

Jason stifled his laughter, afraid of what Cora would do, had she caught him laughing.

Cora smacked Cheryl in the arm playfully, forgetting about the Cullens for a moment.

"Well, I just hope he doesn't come here. God, that's the last thing I need…to draw attention to myself. Amy would be on me like white on rice," Cheryl muttered, her eyes darting to the Cullen table. Jasper was talking quietly with Emmett, but Edward Cullen was staring right at her with confusion and almost…frustration. She quickly looked away, though she could feel his piercing gaze burning holes on her back.

"You got that right," Jason agreed, but then took note of Edward's sudden interest in Cheryl. "Looks like Edward Cullen's got it in for you."

"Prepare for the gods of adopted sibling bonds to wreck havoc on your ass, Parks," Cora patted her friend on the shoulder with a lack of compassion. "I'm warning you. Just tell him."

"No," Cheryl shook her head stubbornly. "It's not fair. In history, I make a genuine attempt for silent companionship by sitting close to him—well, there were no more seats left, but that's besides the point—and what do I get in return? He shifts his desk farther than it possibly can go, leans against the side table, hunches his back like some decrepit geezer, and deludes me into believing I have some contagious disease like Hepatitis or herpes. I don't see him explaining anything about that."

"The girl's got a point," Jason nodded his head, taking a bite out of his apple.

Cora sighed. "Well, you didn't tell me _that_."

"Um, hello, he's been doing that since sophomore year," he laughed, earning a smack in the arm from Cora.

Cheryl sighed, looking up once again at the Cullens. Jasper was staring at her, and for once, she didn't feel guilty for feeling the way she did. Instead, she glared and turned back to her friends…when her breath caught in her throat.

Today was Monday.

'Ah, shit.'

**I LURVE the next two chapters! They were exceedingly fun and easy to write! It felt like my fingers had a mind of their own. Just need to edit them one by one and they'll be posted up when I get the chance.**

**CHEERS!**

giggaloop


	5. a lesson in jasper's room

**So, three unedited chapters were sitting on my computer for a while, and I just found them randomly. At first, I was like WTF is this? Cuz I haven't been on FF in a long ass time… like well over two years, almost three. Then, I remembered this story, and I think I owe it to whoever still wants to read it to at least edit and upload what I have. So, I'll be doing just that, one by one. Will I write more after? Can't make any promises. Life has changed so much since I started this fic. Reading some of these chapters takes me back to a simpler time. As for now, my life is fucked LOL. Anyone in uni/college, I feel your pain! Anywho, here's the chap for any person who's still reading =) enjoy. **

**A Lesson in Jasper's Room**

"Waiting for your friend," Amy asked innocently, teenage greed spilling through her eyes. Greed for what? Gossip of course.

Cheryl was frantic. Not at Amy's words, but at the fact that she had a tutoring lesson that day. She had forgotten all about it. Now, she secretly wished she wasn't such a jackass…even if she had meant it.

"Nope. Just waiting for Jasper," she corrected. "Cora and Jason are off to the pharmacy again."

"Sure."

"Believe what you want, but there is nothing going on between Jasper and me, and even if there was, it is none of your business," she retorted, not interested in Amy's mind games.

The blonde sauntered off to her friends, probably about to gossip about what had just happened. Cheryl sighed.

"Ready to go?" Jasper asked sharply, not even giving her a glance.

She followed him, a quiet 'yes' escaping her lips. The drive was silent, and you could almost cut the tension with a knife. It seemed the faster her heart rate climbed, the harder he gripped onto the steering wheel. Despite this, she felt no need to explain today's events, and neither did he. They arrived at the Cullen house on perfect timing, Jasper's other siblings gracefully walking up the path as well. The tension quadrupled, even when Alice and Cheryl exchanged greetings and how their days went. Even Emmett's usual teasing seemed to have no effect on the mood.

Jasper jammed the key into the knob of the door, allowing everyone inside. Edward bestowed a knowing look towards him, before everyone filed up the stairs. The moment the tutoring duo stepped into Jasper's room, Cheryl could tell this would be a long session.

And she was right.

Jasper was relentless: asking questions he knew she didn't know the answers to, exhibiting his annoyance at her inadequacy, and without him even knowing it, he let his frustration 'pour' onto her in a seamless, continual fashion.

"Stop it, Jasper," he heard Edward order from the other room.

"Yeah, c'mon, she's been through enough," were Emmett's words.

But, it was too late. Cheryl finally snapped—a rare occurrence, but when it happened, it was for a good reason.

"Okay, you know what, I'm leaving," she interrupted their session, closing her book.

Jasper sighed. "Don't. Look, I'm sorry. I just-"

"No," she shook her head, shoving her books into her bag, "you're not really sorry. I can _feel_ it. You're just guilty now because I'm leaving. I'll see you when you stop acting like a jackass."

"Excuse me?" he stood up, visibly surprised. "I seem to recall you blowing me off in the hall today."

By now, the rest of the Cullens were very well listening, even Esme and Carlisle, who had just arrived home from furniture shopping.

"I also seem to recall you ignoring me in class like I had herpes," she spat back, her comment forcing a rye laugh out of Emmett.

Jasper grimaced, but remained strong. "Yes, but that still doesn't excuse the fact that you insulted me even before our first tutoring session. I didn't confront you about it because I wanted to give you a chance… and I wanted you to give me a chance."

"Oh, don't even try to act like the victim here," she rolled her eyes, folding her arms. He was even more manipulative than she thought. "And, how the hell did you even hear me? I was across the room from you, and that's the only time I've ever said anything about you. I'm told eavesdropping isn't a saintly activity either."

"I'd hardly call it eavesdropping if the person in question is as loud as you are," he replied sarcastically. "And as if that even matters. You judged me before you even knew me…and you still don't know who I am." Impulsive humans weren't at the top of Jasper's list for the moment.

"And whose fault is that exactly?" she replied icily. Suddenly, Jasper was aware that they were no longer fighting over something trivial, like secrets or backstabbing. No, this was far deeper. "Despite that, I know exactly who you are. You're like everyone else. You act like everything is fine, and you desperately want to be normal. But, sometimes you wonder why you even try because you're just so pathetic and _broken_ inside. You try so hard, but you just end up suffering…and everyone, and I mean everyone, even that airhead Amy, can see it."

For once, Jasper was the first to break eye contact with her. He couldn't stare her in the face, knowing her response, however unsure, was actually right. And then, suddenly, her words brought focus into his senses, like the sun's light ignited all visual sense in the world. He had to get her out of there, or else he would explode. The emotions, coupled with the burning desire in the back of his throat, were too much to bear. "Are we still talking about me here?" and his tone wasn't gentle. It was agitated and angered. His animalistic tendencies were taking over.

She took a step forward, boldly going where no one—well, no human—had ever gone before. She touched him. She grabbed his hand, ignoring the lack of heat his body emitted. She was out to prove something. "Tell me, what does this feel like to you? Am I repulsive? Do you feel sick? I mean, you must feel something here, or are you actually completely, genuinely devoid of any kind of human emotion like everyone says?"

Everyone, including Jasper and the rest of the Cullens, was holding their breath. This could not end well. Though Alice knew there would be no violence in the midst, she still found herself clenching the hem of her skirt and readying herself to interfere.

"Leave," he managed to choke out, giving her hand a firm squeeze before throwing it back to her side with slight force.

She was shocked. No, embarrassed—mortified beyond all belief because Jasper Hale hadn't denied anything she had just said.

"Get out," he shot out once again.

"Go to hell," she forced out, though the quiver in her voice betrayed her. She immediately sprinted out of his room, running down the stairs to the front door.

Esme was already by the stairs, "Cheryl, where are you-"

"I'm sorry, Esme, but I have to go," were Cheryl's rushed words right before the door slammed shut.


	6. a lesson in the silver volvo: part one

**A Lesson in the Silver Volvo: Part 1**

Cheryl ran. She ran as fast as her legs could take her, feeling the rain whip at her face like tiny spasms of electric shocks. The trail appeared long and narrow, but she couldn't be sure since her vision was blurred with a mixture of tears and rain. And then, she stopped. Her hands rested on her knees as she breathed vehemently, trying to reach some type of mental-physical equilibrium.

"God, I'm an idiot," she scolded herself, wiping furiously at her eyes as she felt them about to tear. But, the moisture was only replaced with the fresh water falling from the sky.

Instead of running, she decided to walk. It would be a long trail, and she had a lot to think about. She had acted like such a fool…and Jasper responded in an almost human way. Almost because she doubted the reason for kicking her out was due to her disrespectfulness and forwardness. There was something else in his eyes, in his movements, and in his sense of bodily restriction.

Did he want to punch her? The clenched fist was evidence enough. That was one theory she wouldn't let go of. Jasper truly did look like he was fighting with himself not to harm her. But, there was so much intensity in his eyes and struggle in his entire appearance that the thought of physically harming her seemed too simple. There was something in Jasper's past that was desperately pulling him back…and she couldn't quite put her finger on it. The moment he kicked her out, she realized that he wasn't just some regular, secluded kid in Forks with a small town problem. Cheryl cringed at the many possibilities and motives for his actions. He was adopted, after all. What if he was beaten at his other foster home? …what if Carlisle saved him from a violent situation and he almost died? ….what if-

She sighed. At this point, it honestly did not matter because 1) she would probably never speak to Jasper ever again, seeing as she basically attempted to low-blow his humanity and 2) she was starting to think that their partnership was a bad idea, not just for him, but for her as well. Jasper was too intense…and deeply troubled. He was everything she was trying to escape from in Manhattan in the form of a tall, blond man.

The sound of a car following her knocked Cheryl out of her reverie. She spied beside her to find a shiny, silver Volvo moving equally as slow as she was. The window rolled down to reveal the one and only Edward Cullen.

"Hi," she greeted lamely, pausing her movements.

He tiled his head towards the passenger seat, his offer clear and simple.

She wasn't an idiot. She knew Esme probably forced him to pick her up, while Jasper attempted to emotionally recover from the events that had transpired beforehand. But, that was beside the point. She wasn't an idiot because she was not going to choose an hour long trek back to town over a ten minute car ride. She silently accepted his offer.

Settling into the passenger seat, no words were exchanged as he slammed onto the acceleration pedal, going well over the speed limit. Apparently, the Cullens weren't too fond of speed limits.

"He's not mad at you."

"He should be," she sighed, ready to justify her point. "I…I was just angry at the beginning, but the things I said at the end—I had no right. I was trying to hurt him; to get a rise out of him." She paused, raking her fingers through her hair. "I've never met anyone like Jasper before, which doesn't excuse the way I acted, but…I was just so frustrated with him and he's just so—he holds everything back. I just, for one moment, wanted him to act _human_. I wanted him to do it."

To say he was surprised by her response would have been an understatement. "You wanted him to do what exactly…?"

No longer avoiding his presence, Cheryl stared at Edward for a moment before looking back at the road, "To do what he really wants and feels…? I don't know, I'm still trying to figure that one out myself." She just wanted him to stop hiding. To show her who he really was because in all truth, she knew jackshit about Jasper despite all the crap she had said.

She knew it was stupid and that she was a huge hypocrite for prying, but— and, she knew Edward and Jasper would think she was crazy if she ever said this—there were times she felt Jasper knew her better than anyone else. In those strange moments, without words, he was able to convey that he knew exactly what she was feeling and that scared her because she knew absolutely nothing about him. In truth, all that stuff she had said before was a bunch of crap—fuelled by anger, malice, and revenge—that could have easily been said about everyone in the world. Everyone, in their own way, was broken, and they all pretended they were completely fine to get through the day.

Whether she was right about Jasper being a regular, broken, trying soul was yet to be determined. Jasper was good at hiding his emotions, which made him the complex enigma she had come to know. Had she hit a soft spot? She expected she would never know because he sure as hell was never going to talk to her again.

"Jasper's very…perceptive with people's emotions," Edward remarked, as if answering her thoughts. She would have been surprised, had Edward not been Jasper's brother and the fact that the statement flowed smoothly into the topic of conversation. "But, let me be the first to warn you: do not provoke him."

"Trust me," she breathed out heavily, "I've learned my lesson."

"I meant what I said earlier. He doesn't hate you," he repeated and a tinge of smirk was etched across his lips. "He thinks you are quite the opposite of repulsiveness."

She laughed, a deep blush warming her cheeks. "Wow, I can't believe I said half those things… I must have sounded like such a lunatic. I hope Carlisle doesn't think I'm ill."

A low chuckle emitted from Edward's mouth. "If anything, he's impressed. Not many" mortals "have been known to stand up to Jasper." And lived to tell the tale.

"No offense, but Jasper's appearance isn't intimidating. Emmett, on the other hand…"

"I thought you, of all people, wouldn't underestimate size," he eyed her petite form wearily.

Her mouth formed an 'O' as she folded her arms. "I'm not that short."

"Compared to the middle school kids, no, I guess not," he teased, causing her to grumble a few profanities. His laughter only intensified.

She chortled as well, a smile tugging at her lips, until she noticed a few kids from school at the local diner. Thankfully, they hadn't seen her. Edward didn't fail to notice her tense posture.

"Are you alright?" but he already knew the answer.

"I'm going to tell you something, but you have to promise not to tell Jasper. I want to tell him myself."

"I assume this has something to do with what happened earlier today at school."

"You assume correctly," she nodded her head in recognition, stopping to think for a moment. "The reason I've been avoiding him and pretending like he's not my tutor is… Well, this is a small town. Things travel…even all the way to New York. If my parents knew I was on the verge of failing History and seeking tutoring help from another student, they wouldn't hesitate to ship me back to private school in Manhattan…. I didn't tell Jasper about it because I was being stubborn. He never tells me why he openly shuns me in class, so I did the same. You don't have to tell me how stupid that sounds."

"Good," he smiled, causing her to playfully jab his arm.

"Ow, good god, your arm's like a rock."

"I'll take that as a compliment," he smiled, turning the car when she gestured for him to make a left. From what Cheryl could see, Edward was very smooth, graceful, even cunning, which was why she was alarmed to find hesitance in his demeanor. He wanted to say something, but he wasn't quite sure if it was appropriate. "I understand why you didn't want people to know you were associated with us…That would create suspicion."

"What are you getting at?" she automatically cut to the chase.

"Well, no one would suspect a thing if you were friends with Jasper."

The implications behind the sentence were so… childlike and innocent. Of course, Cheryl had thought about it before. She had also proceeded to laugh about it when she had thought about it because the chances of Jasper ever willingly agreeing to being friends with her was about as likely as _. People wouldn't suspect he was her tutor if they became genuine friends. But, that would mean people would expect her to sit with the Cullens during lunch, and truthfully, she didn't expect them to take to her too kindly…and she wasn't sure if she was comfortable with befriending them anyway. Technically, she wasn't exactly friends with Jasper to begin with.

"No offense," she paused, "but if I was Jasper, I wouldn't want to be my friend. Did you hear what I said to him?"

"It was hard not to," he smirked.

She ignored his obvious agreement with Jasper on her noise level. "I said a lot of things I don't even want to think about right now. It's amazing how he didn't even yell at me or punch me-"

"Jasper would never intentionally hit you, no matter how tempting."

"Of course," she smiled, but then she frowned. "But, if Jasper had said the same things to me… I wouldn't be having this conversation with you right now. He was right. I wasn't just talking about him; I was talking about myself, granted I'm not the only one dealing with that kind of pain."

Edward didn't need to be _gifted _like Jasper to feel her disgust; she was practically radiating with self-regret. "You're too hard on yourself. I guess that's one thing you have in common with Jasper."

"I can only imagine."

"Yes, but his is on a necessary level, I suppose."

"What do you mean by that?"

He smiled curtly, signaling that it was time to drop the subject. "I'll leave that one for Jasper."

"Well, that conversation won't be happening any time soon," she chuckled, pointing to a relatively large house. It was old, judging by the architecture, but the fresh white paint made it stand out like a sore thumb. "Thank you for the ride."

"Don't mention it," he smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow, Cheryl."

"Bye Edward." She was grateful for his company and the ride, but Cheryl had a feeling she wouldn't be talking to Edward or Jasper anytime soon.


	7. a lesson in the silver volvo: part two

_**So yeah, this is the last chapter I wrote before I sort of 'abandoned' this story. I attempted to write chapter 8 of this, but I totally forgot where I was initially taking the plot. However, I now remember the big plot lines I had wanted to create, which is why the chances of an update have increased to about 50-50. But, I'm still thinking about it, so we'll see. Anyways, enjoy! **_

**A Lesson in the Silver Volvo: Part 2**

Jasper and the rest of his family weren't at school the next day or the day after. Cheryl couldn't help but feel she was the origin of their unexpected absence, even if yesterday was unusually sunny, which could only mean they were on one of their infamous 'camping' trips. She sighed. When or if he came back, she wouldn't be surprised if he acted like he didn't know her. That would be for the best.

She sighed. She would have to find another tutor, one whom she wouldn't spazz on like a psychotic bitch.

"So, are you going to tell me what happened or do I have to pretend like nothing happened…again?" Jason inquired from his seat, just as the teacher left the classroom.

She grinned in spite of what she was feeling. "It's embarrassing."

"Cheryl, I've seen you get pissed drunk and pee on the road, walk right into walls, get your hair caught in trees, your arms break out in hives, a girl publicly molest you, volleyballs smash you right in the forehead-"

"Is there a point to this?"

"What I'm trying to say is: I haven't judged you then and I won't start now. You can tell me anything."

And so she abided by the best friend's rule book and spilled Monday's events. Naturally, she recounted the story in such a way to paint herself as a classic villain. Edward was right; she was extremely hard on herself. "God, I'm such a self-righteous bitch."

"It's alright," Jason shrugged as if not caring.

"Alright? It's alright? That's all you have to say?"

"Overreact much?" he laughed. "Look, for as long as I've known you—two to three years, I'd say—you haven't exactly been the master at defending yourself. Now, I don't know if it's because Cora always beats you to the punch, but not once have you ever shouted at someone for hurting you or even let someone know how you really feel."

"Unbelievable… I defend myself from the trolls at school everyday."

"Oh yeah, you're tough now," he exaggerated with obvious sarcasm. "What about your parents? What about everyone back in New York? Those people are going to be a part of your life forever, Cheryl."

"Wait, so let me get this straight, what you're saying is…I should really be thanking Jasper for making me angry enough to verbally insult him?"

"Don't forget to apologize."

"Wow…just wow."

"Well, what did you think I was going to say?"

"Ahem," she paused, preparing herself for a Jason impersonation. "'Dude, you fuckin' owned his pale, white ass!' Was I close?"

"Um, I don't know you."

"Shut up."

-.-.-.-.-.

Cheryl expected the torrential downpour when she exited Forks High School. What she didn't expect was a familiar silver Volvo, parked outside the school with Jasper Hale leaning against the driver's side, umbrella in hand. He glanced up at her and held her gaze for what seemed like hours until he began to walk over to her. She was about to do the same, when he held his hand up to stop her so she wouldn't get wet. The perfect gentleman. She waited patiently for him to walk over, her mind going into overdrive.

"What—what are you doing here?"

"Not the greeting I expected, but I'll take it," he managed to smile. "Hi Cheryl."

The perplexed expression on her face coaxed a chuckle out of him. Hesitantly, he placed his hand at the small of her back as if to guide her over to the car. "Why don't we leave before traffic starts?"

She didn't pay heed to the obvious irony between Forks and traffic; she was still confused, but she walked with him to the car despite herself. "Leave? To where?"

"Have you forgotten already? I know this isn't the most enjoyable time of the week, but I-"

"Jasper, you honestly couldn't have forgiven me so quickly," she replied, turning around swiftly to stare up at him. They were standing right by the passenger seat, the rain barely missing them as Jasper shielded them. "I was terrible—no, vicious and cruel on Monday. I said things—horrible things, and yet, you stand here and talk to me as if nothing happened."

He sighed, knowing his act was not going to work. "Get in. I'll explain on the way."

She nodded her head, allowing him to open the door for her as she entered the car. Everything was an intense blur. She couldn't even remember them leaving the school, but somehow, they were already speeding down the road, droplets of rain attacking the windshield.

"You don't abide by road regulations, do you?"

"Me behind the wheel should be the least of your worries," he muttered, loud enough for her to hear. "So," he changed the subject quickly, "what seems to bother you? I would think you would be relieved that I'm not mad at you, though I can't see why you would think I am. Edward tells me you were being very hard on yourself."

"Jasper, were you partially deaf on Monday? I completely insulted you in your own home. I crossed the line; I even went in your personal space."

"I provoked you, Cheryl," Jasper reminded her with a frown. "It was all my doing. In fact, it is I who should be apologizing to you."

She was about to correct him, when she noticed a familiar pattern in the events once again.

"Well, doesn't this sound familiar?" she laughed dryly, closing her eyes in disbelief as she leaned against the headrest of her seat. "You do something strange, I freak out, I feel guilty, we apologize, and if possible, the awkwardness increases to a whole other level."

He chewed on her statement for a moment, letting the awkward, tense silence fill the car. "Yes, that sounds about right," he replied with smugness.

"I'm being serious," she informed him, but her smile deceived her.

"Really now?"

"Really," she stared at him and there was only a small trace of a grin on her lips. "Look, you don't have to tell me why you act the way you do, but I feel like I owe you an explanation about Monday… I don't avoid you in school because I'm ashamed. Long stupid story short: I thought it would be easier if we made no contact with one another to avoid suspicion. Amy's parents were close with mine before they left. No doubt they'd probably tell my mom about the tutoring. I'd have to move away if they thought I was being…unproductive."

"You could have given me a memo," Jasper informed her, shaking his head.

"Well, I was being very stubborn and stupid. I apologize for being a teenager," she responded sarcastically, her spark coming back.

His fingers were no longer grasping the steering wheel in a death grip, which, oddly enough, Cheryl noticed.

"So, can we start this over? I know that it might not make much of a difference to you, but I feel like we are in serious need of a fresh start."

"A fresh start? Does that mean I have to teach you from the beginning?"

"You know what I mean, Jasper Hale."

"Yes, I do, Cheryl Parks," he glanced at her with a genuine smile.

She returned it with her own trademark grin, and for once, she thought maybe this could work.

"So, Jasper, what's your favorite color?"


End file.
